1. Field of the invention
The invention generally relates to beds and to support for a user's body or a part thereof. More specifically, the invention discloses a support especially adapted to the needs of an infant by providing a head covering that incorporates a positioning aid.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Infants often are placed in their own beds or cribs, where they are left alone for sleep. At very young age, due to physical immaturity, an infant is unable to roll over. In addition, an infant has weak muscles supporting head position, such that a very young or premature infant may only have only limited ability to change even his or her head position. Consequently, the position in which he is placed often will remain the infant's sleeping position until someone else repositions him. From birth to about nine months of age, an infant's head position and sleeping position can be outside his own control.
Plagiocephaly is a condition characterized by a flattening of one side of the skull. This condition might arise when an infant is allowed to lie on his back a great deal of the time. Thus, the condition also is referred to as positional plagiocephaly. Although sleeping position seems to be a chief cause, the condition also might arise when an infant is left for a long time in any position where his head rests against a flat surface. As an example, an infant in a car seat might rest or hang his head consistently to one side. Torticollis is a sometimes-related condition characterized by asymmetry in the neck muscles, which can contribute to causes of positional plagiocephaly.
The treatment for positional plagiocephaly is to reposition the infant from time-to-time during his sleep periods. At one time, it was recommended to place the infant on his stomach, which readily allowed his head to be varied between right and left. However, a front sleeping position is suspected of contributing to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Consequently, the current recommendation from professional sources is that infants should sleep on their backs. A back sleeping position leads to less certain position of the infant's head and increased concern for positional plagiocephaly.
Positional plagiocephaly is addressed at two levels. The first level is prevention. Parents and other caretakers routinely receive advice to shift the infant's head position and to discourage sleeping on the back of the head. The second level is treatment, once the problem has become severe. Correcting a severe problem can require use of a helmet. Physical therapy also can be helpful. Both corrective treatments involve expense and might be a burden on the infant's family. However, prompt corrective action is both desirable and important, because the problem becomes permanent once the skull becomes firm, at about 9 months to 1 year. It would be desirable to have a safe, inexpensive, and easily applied precautionary device, primarily to assist at the preventative stage.
Recent patent literature proposes a variety of solutions. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0185055 to DeWitt proposes that a prop be attached to an infant's torso garment, parallel to the spine, to cause the infant to face toward a selected side during sleep. U.S. Pat. No. 7,153,284 to Argenta proposes a hard headgear or helmet with a protruding deflector that can be located selectively over a flat spot on the infant's head, causing the infant's head to roll off the deflector. U.S. Pat. No. 6,954,954 to Stelnicki proposes a system of wedges and props to establish a sleeping position, coupled with a helmet or cap that receives pads at selected locations. The pads are configured to become elevating pillows that support the infant's head rather than encouraging the head to roll off the pillow.
Although the suggested solutions may have value in clinical settings or at the treatment stage rather than at the preventative stage, their use in the home may not be desirable or suitable. Professional sources recommend against regular use of any device that restricts movement of an infant's head. In addition, because an infant's brain and head are rapidly growing, stiff headgear and helmets should be used under regular professional supervision to avoid harmful restriction. Further, the proposed devices are typically large, awkward, and overly suggestive of clinical purpose, which may discourage their use in the home or family setting.
It would be desirable to combine a head positioning aid with a pliable, broadly sized cap, so that an infant can wear the cap with substantially no problem of exceeding size capacity. Similarly, it would be desirable for a head positioning aid to be a pliant pad so that the infant's head is mildly influenced toward a selected position without foreclosing other movement. One or more pliant pads on a soft cap can provide a suitable and versatile means for directing an infant's head during sleep and in other situations. Such a cap offers the possibility of baby-friendly configurations and can avoid having a clinical appearance. A parent may be pleased to have an infant wear such a friendly cap on a regular basis, both at home and on normal travels, because the appearance of the cap does not imply medical treatment or clinical purpose as found in other devices.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the method and apparatus of this invention may comprise the following.